Hopes of move over writers' strike

Hopes of move over writers' strike

Striking Hollywood writers could begin informal talks with studio chiefs next week in an effort to end a two-month walkout that has hit the US entertainment industry.

Published 19th January 2008

Striking Hollywood writers could be set for new talks

Word of the possible break in the stalemate came a day after the Directors Guild of America announced a tentative contract deal, and studio heads urged the Writers Guild of America (WGA) to join in talks that could lead to the resumption of formal negotiations that broke off on December 7.

The WGA is prepared to sit down with executives such as Robert Iger, CEO of Walt Disney, who participated in similar informal talks with directors, a writers union source said.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios, said it had no comment on the possible start of informal talks.

In its tentative deal with producers, the Directors Guild resolved new-media compensation issues that are also central to the Writers Guild dispute, including compensation for movie and TV projects delivered over the internet.

In a joint statement, top executives from eight major companies, including Fox, Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney, CBS, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros, MGM and NBC Universal called on the Writers Guild to join in the kind of informal talks that preceded the directors' negotiations.

The executives said the deal with directors established a precedent for the industry's creative talent to "participate financially in every emerging area of new media."

Officials at the Writers Guild were waiting to receive a copy of the directors' tentative pact and evaluate how it fits in with what writers are seeking.

The agreement gives the directors union jurisdiction over programmes produced for distribution on the internet. It also provides for residuals paid on a percentage of distributors' gross - also a key Writers Guild proposal.

Some out-of-work writers said they were heartened by the directors' pact. But they tempered their optimism about a possible end to the walkout by writers, which has halted work on dozens of TV shows, has disrupted movie production, turned the usually star-studded Golden Globes show into a mundane news conference and has threatened the forthcoming Academy Awards ceremony.